Last Night On Earth
by Pen Sil
Summary: PostCanon. Watching him shot and die before her eyes was not the healthiest experience she had ever had, and falling into depression afterwards was probably stupid. So it's good someone comes back from the dead to pull her out.


**Last night on earth**

* * *

><p>She wasn't afraid. She was <em>never<em> afraid. Not during any heist, not during the time after her mother's disappearance. Not even when she found out that the man she had known all her life, the man she trusted and secretly loved pulled off a mask, only to reveal another. Kaito was Kaito, after all, even if she disliked his nightly activities. And really, what could a last year student in high school do about that? She wasn't going to call her father, that was for sure.

_..._

_It's the last night on Earth…._

_..._

But _now._

_Now_ she felt a cold hand reach in and grab her heart, tightly, and forcefully pull it out of her chest.

She saw the gun, saw the intention and the angle and she felt fear, cold, heartless, fear paralyze her limbs. She couldn't even breathe or blink. She couldn't even cry at what would come next. But it was a fear, not for herself, but for that man. Which made the situation even worse. She wasn't sure she could live without him, but… _but she couldn't even do anything to save him!_

The man holding the gun was no friend. She knew as much. He was probably the same man responsible for Toichi's death so many years ago. And now… now he had come to claim the life of the second thief. And thought the latter held his beloved poker face in check she saw his eyes dart in her direction and there, too, was fear. Not for himself, but for her.

And now it was his fear holding her prisoner. Behind the mask. She couldn't move, couldn't move into the light and make herself known, she couldn't _help_ him. The realization made something in her throat move painfully.

"Hand over the stone," the man with the gun said in his calm velvet voice. How many people had he killed without as much as a drop of remorse?

"And why should I?" She had told him a thousand times that his arrogance was surely the thing to cost him his life, mainly because he could be such a prick, but now she may be right. "This isn't Pandora."

_Pandora? _Was it really the one he had been searching for? Had he finally found it?

"Of course it is. You would just hand it over if it wasn't."

"Okay," the thief shrugged nonchalantly and threw the large ruby into the air. The man caught it with ease.

Was he really going to give it up this easily when he had fought so hard to find and protect it? He had said he had wanted to destroy it, hadn't he? Was he so afraid for her life…? She hoped it was just a fake and he had hidden the real one –

__...__

_Before the great divide…_

__...__

His hand moved discreetly, mentioning for her to get away from this place. She shook her head wildly, feeling her hair whip at her face. And then she saw something she hadn't seen before; the poker face cracked. Just for a moment, but she saw it. Raw emotions displayed across his face. Pain, fear, _panic._

That was what she saw. The raw emotions displayed on his face was so distracting, so painful to watch that for a moment, she could do nothing but watch him. And then… only then did she hear the shot.

She saw him fall.

She saw the man who had murdered her best friend leave. Couldn't fallow him.

And _now_ she could move.

She scrambled for the magician, intent on getting to him.

"No-!" he choked, trying to lift his head, but getting up was not an option available and he winced in pain. "Aoko-!"

"For once in your life shut up," she muttered and kneeled beside him. The shot had hit him in the stomach.

__...__

_My hands are shaking_

_..._

Frantically she started to open his jacket, but his hands got in the way. Did he not want her to stop the bleeding. "I have things to tell you," he hissed.

"Things you can say when I've _tried_ to save your life," she snapped back.

"Wouldn't it be better to run for help, then?"

"I can't –" her throat contracted and she felt tears prickle in her eyes. "I won't leave you."

"Good," he muttered, and through the pain she saw a small catch of his lips, a glint in his eyes and it made her want to cry all the more. "I don't want you to."

"You're such an idiot," she whispered.

"I know," his hand tightened round hers as she removed his hat. "Now, listen to me, Aoko. I don't have much time."

"Okay."

_..._

_Time was… never on our side_

__...__

"The stone is safe, what he got was a fake," he said, the words leaving his voice in a hurry. "I meant to come back and destroy it, but… I'm not sure I can."

"Will it be hidden well enough for no one to find it?"

A small wistful smile crossed his lips. "I don't know," he said. "I left you a clue on your nightstand. Something only you'll understand…"

"I'll make sure it's destroyed," she promised and squeezed his hand tighter.

"One more thing, Aoko," he choked and his hand clutched his stomach for a moment, letting go of hers. "Don't… dwell on what has happened."

She was speechless as she suddenly saw, not physical pain in his eyes, but emotional face _on his face_.

"Don't… make me the reason you won't find someone," he added.

"What do you mean…?"

"Just… make sure you find happiness," he told her. "I love you, and I've known, for a while, that those emotions were returned, but I just _couldn't_ –" a coughing fit seized him and she felt tears fall from her eyes then.

"You're such an idiot, Kaito," she sobbed when he finally stopped coughing. Could she really do nothing for this man? "Why do you always push people away? Why do you always – always use damned poker face?"

"Because," his shaking hand reached up for her face. "In my selfish obsession with getting revenge I could do only one selfless thing; getting you as little involved as possible."

He was slowly wiping away her tears. "And now I'm going to do one last selfish thing," he muttered, and, with strength she didn't think he had, he pulled her down and kissed her gently.

_..._

_There's no such thing… as a beautiful good-bye_

__...__

As she kissed him back she felt his lips still against her own and panic pulled her back with a force that seemed inhuman. His eyes were closed…

"No."

"_NO!"_

When her father and Hakuba finally found her she was clinging to his body, still crying her eyes off.

_..._

… _as an ordinary day_

__...__

There wasn't anything the inspector could do for his daughter. For many months he watched her go mechanically through her studies, get her great results on paper and bear a mask less emotional than even KID's face had been.

He hadn't really been surprised when it turned out it was the young magician. Maybe that was why he had never really caught him, because he didn't want to. His daughter had, after all, cared a great deal about the boy and he was not going to ruin that by pulling off the mask.

And now he wouldn't do it to the public. The Phantom should remain a phantom and Kuroba Kaito's name should not be soiled.

__...__

_I prayed for you a thousand times_

__...__

Aoko, after getting over her shock, had found the note. It was very simple, and she knew immediately where to look. But… she just couldn't remove that last tie to him.

She was slowly falling into a dark abyss of depression. No. Not of depression, but she became almost void of emotion. She lived her life but she wasn't sure she could ever become happy again, no matter what he said. No matter what he had wanted.

After college she became a very respected detective. With her intelligence and the many days she had spent with Kaito and _his _brilliant brain (he always would have made a great detective, himself) it was easy for her to solve the murders.

__...__

_It's never enough_

_No matter how many times I tried to tell you this is… love_

__...__

People learned never to mention his name in her presence. It wasn't that she started crying or even tried to kill them, like she would when she was angry with him, but she just sat there, and her friends could watch her eyes go completely blank. Sorrow seemed to seep from her every limb and to make sure she didn't have to think of him they never mentioned him again.

She started dating again. Never with anyone that even remotely resembled him. But it never lasted long… for it didn't take long before they did something, said a single word that reminded her of him. And she had to break it up.

"You look terrible, detective," the bartender commented.

"That's nothing new," she muttered and sipped at her beer. "But I must admit that… work is piling up again. More jewel theft than ever…"

"You sure The Phantom isn't back?"

She shook her head, the pain had far since numbed so she didn't even shake when she said. "He's dead. Gone. No one will ever see KID again."

"Oh?" The bartender was obviously new, wouldn't ask questions if he knew her better. "How do you know?"

"Because I watched him die," she spat, and turned away.

When she did, though, she caught a familiar glint of bright blue eyes.

She was half out of her chair before she realized what she was doing. The bar was dark and lay mostly in golden shadows. How could she have caught blue eyes in here? There weren't even many people here, for god's sake! The door shut closed and her head whipped in the direction of it.

"Miss? I'm sorry to disturb you again…" the bartender hesitated as she turned back to him.

"The gentleman that just left, left this for you," he handed her a drink in a smaller-than-normal cocktail glass. The drink in itself was completely white, but she thought she saw something red twirl in it. Then it was gone. "What is it?"

__...__

_If tomorrow never comes_

_I want you to know right now that I_

_I'm gonna love you until the day I die_

__...__

As the bartender explained but she almost wasn't listening. She had caught the scent of roses. Slowly she reached for it and lifted the small glass. _There it is again._ She gently lifted the glass to her lips and took a sip. It tasted sweet. Too sweet to be what the bartender explained.

"Did he pay for it?"

"Yes."

She downed the drink, grabbed her bag and hurried out the door. Hope was shimmering in her stomach and she didn't like to listen to it. It would break her heart if it wasn't him. If she was fooling herself. But she couldn't help it.

_..._

_And if tomorrow falls asleep_

_Can you hold me close?_

_I'm gonna love you like it's the last night on Earth_

__...__

As she ran she pulled out her wallet. It was hard to see in the dark, but she knew that the note was still there, and what it said.

"_My name is Kuroba Kaito. It's nice to meet you."_ It had come with a single red rose.

She knew what it meant, where it was. He had uttered those words twice, and at the same place… He had protected their clock and now it would be the place to break her or make them meet once more. Third time's the charm, wasn't it?

__...__

_A penny for your thoughs…_

__...__

The square before the clock was empty, but then again… it was almost midnight… She hurried over to the building and noted that the door to the clock tower was empty. A small, hopeful voice in the back of her head noted that this was too much of a coincidence. But she wouldn't let it be more than a small voice. Couldn't. She wasn't sure she would be able to rise from too harsh a fall.

She hurried up the stairs, there seemed to be too many and it took a great deal of energy from her already tired limbs. So when she finally reached her destination, she was panting for breath and clutching her knees in an attempt to regain it.

"You're late."

_..._

_A picture so it'll last…_

_..._

A chill rippled down her spine and she turned. It was dark in here. She almost couldn't see anything, but she did see a silhouette not too far from where she stood.

"And you don't keep promises very well."

She was speechless as she watched him move around the stairs. Her body was shaking and she felt something tear at her heart. It was painful. Was it really him?

"Breaking two," he muttered. "And then on my deadbed."

"Do you think this is funny?" she snapped. "I don't know who you are but –"

A chuckle cut her off and she took a step back. "I guess I should feel happy that you're even here," he said. "But five years, Aoko. Five years. Are you that bad at moving on? And so good at hurting yourself?" There was no playfulness in this voice. This deep voice, that was as she remembered it. He was angry with her. Not because she hadn't destroyed the gem, but because she hadn't let him go.

"How are you alive?" she just asked. She was still shaking.

His answer came in something that looked liked dust, red, shining dust, that fell from his hand unto the floor. "I didn't realize it until I woke up on a bed in the autopsy room, completely healed. Some time, during the heist I swallowed some of its tears…"

"So you're…?"

_..._

_Let's knock down the walls of… immortality_

_..._

"Haven't aged a day," he said with a shrug.

A cloud must have moved away from the moon outside, for its silvery light suddenly shined through the face of the clock, and hit him. He wasn't lying. He looked exactly like he had when he was nineteen.

At the sight of him she lost all communication with her legs and fell to the floor. Tears ran from her eyes in large streams and she hugged her shaking form. Flashes from five years ago played before her eyes. The gunshot, the blood, the pale face, and the blue eyes that slowly lost their shine.

__...__

_Your fingers on my skin_

__...__

His voice cut through it and his fingers grabbed her shoulders. But she couldn't hear what he was saying… It was like watching herself on television. Her usual messy hair was even messier, her teeth were clattering and her eyes were wild with almost panic. She was shaking, too, and he was trying to calm her.

Something smoky reached her nose and she felt the sleeping powder take effect.

_..._

_Only you can hear my fear_

__...__

She woke to far too silky bedding, and a soft mattress. Light was shining through cracks in a curtain and as she forced her heavy eyelids open she realized that she was not at home. The bedroom was far too big, and so was the bed, and she couldn't recognize the giant bookcase that stood beside the door, opposite of the bed and she could definitely not recognize the smell of cooking. It had been so long since anyone had cooked for her.

The door opened and in came Kaito with two mugs in hand. He really didn't look a day older now than he had when she had last seen him. Tears prickled her eyes one more and his face filled with horror. "No. No no no no no, no, Aoko," he said, as he put the mugs down and hurried over to her side. "Please don't cry again. It doesn't suit you at all."

As he moved closer she felt something tug at her chest again and she pushed off the covers and crawled away from him. She almost didn't notice that she was only wearing her shirt and undergarments. He must have removed her pants and jacket at some point.

He lunged and grabbed her foot, pulling her back, and she fell so she was lying flat on her stomach.

She wanted to scream at him. To kick him, to hit him and to push him away from her. How _dared_ he stay away for this long? How _dared_ he leave her alone to her depression like that?

"Your father obviously didn't tell you that my corpse disappeared," he said. "They've been searching for it for three years. I had to get away for a while. I couldn't just waltz up to you and tell you I was alive. What if you told your father?"

__...__

_Only you can help me heal_

__...__

She turned so she could see his face. "Fair enough," she muttered angrily. "But that was two years ago."

"I haven't been in Japan in almost five years," he told her as he lay down, a lazy smile on his face. Poker face. It was back in check, obviously, but she found that his blue eyes were serious. "I only got back two months ago. And I couldn't exactly show up at your doorstep if you were married and had kids."

"I wasn't," she said. "Did you really think it was that easy?"

A boy-ish grin spit on his face. Meant to charm her, obviously. "I was hoping."

"Bullshit."

His facial expression clearly said that _that_ one was a shocker. But then it glided into something that wasn't quite his poker face. There was a soft light in his eyes and he smiled. "You're right," he admitted quietly. "I wasn't happy to see how down you were when I finally found you, but there was a part of me that was whispering _good, she hasn't forgotten me_." Shame was evident on his face, and she had to look away. "Of course, I went to see if Pandora was still where I had hidden it… it was intact, so I took it with me for a while –"

That struck her has odd. "You mean, you had it for some time before you made your presence known to –" She trailed off as something clicked into place.

__...__

_I see forever with you here_

__...__

She sat up and stared down at him. He wasn't looking at her, suddenly finding the wall very interesting. "The tears… I saw something red in my drink that –" Horror filled her. "_You -! You -!"_ She couldn't find words. "_How could you?"_

"Oh, it was quite easy," he said in that annoyingly cocky tone as he too sat up. "The bartender didn't even see it coming. Is that what you want me to say?"

"No! I want you to say –" she stopped herself. "You had no right to do that!"

"I've done a lot of things I had no right to do," he retorted. When she didn't fight back a smirk spread on his face. "Besides you seemed so devoted to me I wasn't sure you could live with growing old."

"Why you…" She grabbed the nearest thing she could find and hit him with it. Unfortunately it was only a pillow and didn't do enough damage for her taste, though he would have probably dodged anything else.

Laughing he emerged from under the large piece of cloth. "Now here is the Aoko, I know," he said. "But before you try to kill me, which really isn't possible, as far as I know, I think you should drink something."

He handed her the hot mug, and she saw that it was filled with tea. She took it without a word and sipped it. It was hot, but it was soothing as well.

Finally she put it down and looked at him. "Will we really live forever?"

"I'm not sure," Kaito admitted. "Maybe our lives have just been prolonged or our growing process stopped. We may just die in 80 years, like normal people, but we'll still look young. I don't know."

"_If_ we live forever, do you think we could really tolerate each other for so long?"

He shrugged. "I sure as hell want to try," he told her. "Besides, if people can live with each other for seventy years, we may as well be able to pull eternity off. Right?"

He caught a strand of her hair, and lay down to play with it. "It's gotten so long," he muttered, absentmindedly.

"Where did you go?" she asked. "The last five years?"

He considered her for a moment. "I went to Europe," he told her. "Went to America – I wanted to see some of the shows mom is always talking about. Well, was. She still thinks I'm dead."

Guilt washed over her. His mother didn't know? Did she even have the right to have wanted these news. "Don't you ever want to tell her?"

"I do," he avoided her eyes. "But," and then he tugged at her hair, laughing as she scowled at him, "I've wanted to tell you more. And it's best if she don't get involved."

There was a ringing from the outside of the door and he sat up. "And now breakfast is ready." He easily jumped off the bed and hurried out the bedroom.

She stared after him, not moving. It was such a weird experience, watching him move, smile, hear his laugh once more. Twenty-four hours ago she wouldn't have believed it, but now it sent a flood of warmth over her and she was probably smiling, truly smiling for the first time in many months. Maybe even in years.

There was another ringing from the other sound of the room and she turned to see her pants and jacket. It was probably Hakuba calling to see if she was alright.

"Hello?"

"You sound awfully happy today," her co-worker commented drily.

She winced at the thought of having troubled him. "Yeah, I found –"

"I take it Kuroba has finally made his appearance," he cut her off. "About time, if you ask me."

"What?"

"He told me about the stone before he "died"," the detective explained. "When his body disappeared I knew what had happened. Though, I didn't think he'd actually go ahead and use it."

"It was an accident," she said quietly. "He didn't know."

"Figures. I take it it has been destroyed."

"Yeah."

"And that you're not coming for work today?"

"I don't think so," she hesitated. "I'd… rather not."

"Good, I'll say you're sick. Stay home for a few days. Give him a good beating and then get back to work."

She grinned. Couldn't help it. "Yes, sir. I'll find a broom immediately."

A chuckle. "Good. See you in four days, Nakamori."

"Did I hear someone say _broom_?" The former thief asked as he stuck his head in through the door-opening.

She put her phone back in the pocket and rose from the bed. "It was just Hakuba," she shrugged. "He knows your alive."

Kaito startled. "He knows _what_?" She nodded and he cursed. "I should have guessed that he would know," he muttered, then his expression gentled. "Come and get some breakfast, no use talking about annoying people, now."

He was already walking back into his kitchen as she told him she'd just be a minute as she had to get on her clothes. He looked at her incredulously. "Are you expecting company?" And then he grinned slyly at her, making a show of letting his eyes wander. "'Cause I must admit I like the view."

Her cheeks heated and she glared his way.

"Fine," he sighed. "But at least use one of my shirts, instead. Those black pants of yours really are too dirty to be wearing." When she looked puzzled he explained. "You fell to the floor, last night. Remember? It was pretty dusty in there…"

"Oh…"

His smile returned. "And don't worry, my shirts should be so big they at least reach mid-thigh," he announced as he walked back into what must have been the kitchen.

As she flung a string of curses after him, the only answer she got was laughter.

A few minutes later she emerged from his bedroom, in a dark-blue shirt that reached past mid-thigh. Was he really that much taller than her? Then again, he _was_ 174, not exactly normal Japanese height… His grin, upon seeing her, widened and turned into something that showed exactly how smug he was about it. "You look good in that," he commented. "You should wear that more often."

"Possessive bastard."

The other side of the door was a large open space, divided in two; a large living-room with a wall that was replaced by glass. Outside that glass was a clear blue sky and she wondered where they were. The other part of the room was an open kitchen where a large table was filled with all kinds of foods.

"How do you afford all this?" She asked him.

"I do shows," he told her as she sat down at the table. "What else?"

She shrugged and he frowned.

"I never stole for money," he told her curtly, "and I was never going to start. I haven't stolen since KID."

"I know," she said.

"But," he said and caught her chin in his hand and moved her to face him. Her eyes widened in surprise. "That doesn't mean there aren't some things I'll still be stealing."

With that he dipped his head and caught her lips in a kiss that stopped all thought-process. It was nothing like the first, that had been sweet and had hurt her far more than anything ever cold. Though it was short it made her world spin and she had to clutch his shirt. A chuckle rippled through his chest and he let go. "I really missed you," he told her.

"I missed you too," she whispered, slightly out of breath. "And I'm still –" she hit him over the head " – angry that you stayed away for so long."

"Ouch, Aoko!" he sidestepped and backtracked.

"Don't 'Aoko' me!" she snapped and looked around for a broom, when she found no one. When she saw his smirk, she realized that he had seen it too, and she backtracked slightly. His smirk widened into a grin and his blue eyes glinted as he advanced. When he set off to catch her she shrieked in delight, turned and ran from the table. Breakfast had been forgotten for now.

He easily caught up with her, his hands landing on her waist and lifting her laughing form from the floor. She cursed loudly which caused him to laugh, himself. With that he threw her over his shoulder and walked back to the table where he put her down.

She pouted as he did so, but decided not to fight the inevitable. She did, though, grab him by the shirt and stole a quick kiss before whispering. "I know, you know, but I haven't said the words yet," she said. "I love you."

She wasn't quite ready for the emotion she saw displayed on his face then, and as her eyes met his she didn't even realize what was happening before his mouth attacked her own. She should have probably expected it, but she hadn't.

When he finally pulled away it was more for the need to breathe than because he wanted to, she could see that in his eyes.

"Knowing," he said, "and hearing it said are two different things."

Her cheeks heated, but she couldn't quite look away.

"So now," his grin was back in place. "Maybe we're ready for some breakfast. Or should we wait," the grin turned to a smirk, "and move back into the bedroom."

She scowled at him, and he laughed. "Fine, I can wait."

She smiled smugly as he sat across from him. "It's what you get for staying away for so long."

* * *

><p><em>If tomorrow never comes<em>

_I want you to know right now that I_

_I'm gonna love you until the day I die_

_And if tomorrow falls asleep_

_Can you hold me close?_

_I'm gonna love you like it's the last night on Earth_


End file.
